From Ashes to a Phoenix
by tkelparis
Summary: "The Belted Doctor" supplement: The story of Donna Belle, of Pete's World. How she lost her family, nearly lost herself, and was reborn with the right support.
1. The End of the World as She Knew It

Title: From Ashes to a Phoenix

Rating: At the moment, T (emotional hardships, and later some suggestive implications). There's a shot that at least part of this story will jump to a strong M rating. We'll see as it develops.

Summary: "The Belted Doctor." supplement: The story of Donna Belle, of Pete's World. How she lost her family, nearly lost herself, and was reborn with the right support.

Disclaimer: The simple matter of this fan-verse's existence should prove my lack of ownership. Capish?

Dedication: To MonkeesDoctorWho1987, whose review planted the seed of this story. So if you're getting sick of this universe, you know who to blame. (grins) Anyway, thanks for the idea. It allowed me to flesh out some other events within this universe when the tone of TBD didn't allow for it. Well, the truth is that I didn't want TBD to grow past 90 pages on my word processor...

/=/=/=/=/=/=/

PART 1: The End of the World as She Knew It

Donna Isabelle Noble – sometimes known as Mrs. Temple-Noble – had always suffered from headaches when she was stressed. The equipment from _ which allowed people to get updates directly into their minds gave her the worst ones of her life. She couldn't predict when she would dry heave, and that was very bad for a woman running her own consulting business. Let alone a successful woman.

So her doctor tried putting her on a series of headache relief and nausea meds. Although they took care of the headaches and nausea, they left her with a foggy mind and unable to concentrate on her work. So she promptly arranged to have it removed until they could make the models better. Besides, she thought at the time, she preferred reading to having things uploaded into her head.

Besides, reading was her thing. It had made her into the most successful person in her field, where she helped make other businesses run more smoothly and efficiently. She was brilliant at it. And she knew it. She had a good husband whose musical talents brought great joy to her family, and was a mother to three children. And she was positive another was on the way.

Then the Cybermen came. Seeing every last adult she knew in the grips of the controlling device that had been the bane of her existence was beyond awful. To make matters worse, those metal creatures started grabbing children to make the unadorned who fought cease resisting. She and two girlfriends found themselves hiding in a shelter, shivering in fear and worried sick about everyone else.

The evident collapse of the Cybermen was a profound relief – at first. Then it was time to assess the damage wrought by their sick creator. She found no comfort in knowing that Pete Tyler had sent that man to his death – in apparent revenge over the death of Jackie Tyler. For she never found the bodies of Shaun or her parents.

All of them were converted...

And Gramps and the children... She found their bodies in the rubble of the family home. He was the only other person in the family to decline the device, and had obviously tried everything to protect the children. She never realized how long or loud her screams of agony were...

/=/=/=/

Donna knew, in that distantly aware way, that she was homeless before the firefighters finished assessing the damage. What she wasn't expecting was that all of her intact belongings fit into just four bags. Some clothes had survived, and other random items. But she'd gone from a whole house full of memories to not even having the pictures.

Aside from what had made it to her laptop...

Her computer was with her, and she backed everything up through a remote system. So she should have been able to continue running her business. And, as an independent owner, she really didn't have time off without not earning a paycheck. But, it turned out that every last client had used the device, and were all gone.

So she not only had no home, but no income – except what little insurance money she did get. It seemed that the company found a clause that allowed it to lower its total payout in light of the circumstances of the disaster. Donna fought them – not for her, but for the other families whose lives were ruined. Oh, she got her payout, but it all had to go to the payments to free herself from the mortgage. And for the health treatments she needed after losing the baby...

Her life now royally sucked; she had no desire to remain where she was constantly surrounded by memories of what was forever gone. Actually, she found herself with no desires of any kind. She ate because she knew she needed fuel, not because she felt hungry. She'd gone through a routine because she had to help the others devastated by the Cybermen.

But once that was all over, when she'd done everything she could and found her services no longer needed... there was nothing. Her skill-set was suddenly too advanced for nearly everyone, and those who could use it had other priorities.

So then she was alone, living with a few girlfriends who'd banded together because they'd all lost their families. It wasn't an ideal arrangement; it turned out they all got along better when they mostly met at dinner or out for drinks.

Not that Donna really registered it. Actually, she could barely maintain awareness about what was happening around her. Aside from looking out for immediate danger, paying attention just made her aware of the children who lived, the families who'd made it through, the lives who still had a purpose. People who were managing to go on where she wasn't...

Hers was gone. She'd gone from having a slew of roles – granddaughter, daughter, wife, mother, businesswoman, inspiration – to nothing in a matter of hours.

Sometimes, when she drummed up the energy to think about it, she felt that the universe had either forgotten about her, or decided that she actually wasn't worth anything. The latter mindset always won, drawing her further away from feeling anything.

From wanting to feel anything. From feeling that it was worth going on...


	2. Struggling, Used, and then Rescued?

Title: From Ashes to a Phoenix

Rating: At the moment, T (emotional hardships, and later some suggestive implications). There's a shot that at least part of this story will jump to a strong M rating. We'll see as it develops.

Summary: "The Belted Doctor." supplement: The story of Donna Belle, of Pete's World. How she lost her family, nearly lost herself, and was reborn with the right support.

Disclaimer: The simple matter of this fan-verse's existence should prove my lack of ownership. Capish?

Dedication: To MonkeesDoctorWho1987, whose review planted the seed of this story. So if you're getting sick of this universe, you know who to blame. (grins) Anyway, thanks for the idea. It allowed me to flesh out some other events within this universe when the tone of TBD didn't allow for it. Well, the truth is that I didn't want TBD to grow past 90 pages on my word processor...

Author's Note: I know most of you are looking for the "Cupids" sequel, or "Taming." Well, I had a bad day recently, and Muse and I were in the mood to revisit the "Belted" universe and continue Donna Belle's story. But we did get to the point where we could finally bring her to her new home, so say Hello to the start of a ton of fun!

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><p>PART 2: Struggling, Used, and then Rescued?<p>

Donna finally had to take whatever work came her way. No one was willing to give work to someone overqualified for most open jobs; they preferred to give them to younger temps who wouldn't command such a high salary.

But Pete Tyler himself finally came through, hearing of her through his contacts and offering her a position organizing all the information he had and couldn't make sense of. It paid well, although Donna didn't need as much since her expenses had dropped dramatically.

A fact she consciously ignored...

The job was interesting intellectually. All the data and potential information about technology that could either make life on Earth easier or protect it from threats, it all had to be cataloged. Her maths brain was appropriately challenged.

A good distraction from her emotionally numb state...

And it all worked... well enough.

Until Rose Tyler came...

At first, her arrival was accompanied by a slew of gossip. How their boss had gotten a version of his wife back, and gained a daughter in her early 20s. It made for material she could use for the expected gossip nights she and her friends kept trying to have.

Nights that were getting harder for her to take. Some of her friends were proving to be not such good friends. They were far more interested in gossip than she'd thought, or they deliberately gave off hints about how they were moving on and so "why couldn't she?"

A few slaps had ended those so-called friendships. The comments made Donna angry, and it was bad to feel anything...

Donna used to like it when people came up to her because they'd heard of her skills. The ability to type 100 words a minute always drew impressed reactions. At first, the young blond had seemed nice enough, asking for her help with information relating to something called a Dimension Cannon. And the amount of work involved certainly kept Donna's mind engaged.

More importantly, it kept her from dwelling on what no longer was. And it gave her a reason to not talk about her work.

Although it made for fewer things she _wanted_ to talk about on girls' nights...

But slowly Rose asked for more and more of her time, even begging her "father" to transfer Donna to the section where Rose spent all of her time working. The girl had a goal for the Cannon, but she didn't talk about it to anyone other than Pete Tyler, Jackie Tyler, and a nice young man named Mickey Smith. The lad seemed interested in Rose, and clearly knew her from the alternate world they came from. But the little twit sometimes didn't pay him any attention unless he was helping her.

As Rose got more caught up in her efforts, Donna found herself working more and more hours. When her girlfriends were pushing her too far, Rose had suggested moving into the office for the peace and quiet. It had seemed like a good idea; those twits she had thought were her friends were all moving on – the lucky cows!

So she needed to go numb again. And living out of her office made that easier.

Except that even then she was doing more work on Rose's precious project. Oh, the girl periodically noticed – when she bothered to drop by and check on the status of whatever she had Donna working on – that she wasn't eating much, and would make her take breaks. But Jackie and Pete Tyler would make her take longer ones, which Rose didn't know about. And they profusely apologized for Rose's behavior, and said they were working to curb it.

Finally, curiosity overcame her determination to avoid getting close to anyone. So when Mickey Smith came by on one of the sandwich drops that Jackie had established for her (never allowing her to pay for them, either), Donna had to ask questions. Why was Rose so fixated on this Cannon? Where were they from? And what the bloody hell did she intend to do?

Mickey had sighed, and sat. The long story she heard was unbelievable. He told of an alien called The Doctor who Rose had traveled with for three years before a second Cyberman attack – that she managed to miss, thank God! – traveled across into the universe which Rose and Mickey and Jackie were from. Mickey had already been in this world, taking over the role of his dead counterpart (showing a strength of character that Donna couldn't help but admire), and helped Pete Tyler's group cross to help end the threat. But there was something to trap the Cybermen and some other threat called the Daleks, but it threatened to swallow the people exposed to certain particles. (Mickey admitted to being a bit unsure of the details.) So Jackie was semi-dragged to this world (which Mickey admitted he still referred to as Pete's World), and Pete had flashed back – which saved Rose from that Void thingy.

Of course, Rose had been Mickey's girlfriend until the Doctor came into their lives. He was rightly angry, but he admitted that he'd grown up because of the Doctor's influence. So it was a blessing in disguise. Mickey had held some hope that, since they were "trapped" here, Rose would turn back to him now that the Doctor was gone from their lives. Except she hadn't. Despite his warning them that they shouldn't try to cross back over. Something about damaging the fabric of time and space, and hurting time-lines.

Whatever that meant... It was hard to follow, but she couldn't help but observe aloud that Rose was clearly acting obsessed with this alien. "And why," she also asked, "would she go after him when he clearly wasn't that into her? If there were a safe way for them to be reunited, he would've found it by now, right?"

Mickey gave a wry smile. He'd definitely thought about that, and had given up on Rose Tyler. Now it was more about damage control. "We'll get you away from her," he promised with a pat on her shoulder. "There has to be a way to stop this."

But he couldn't find it. Rose had been using the Cannon to find the Doctor's time and universe. Quite often. And she seemed to grow harder and harder after each effort. And more determined to get the data that would get her to him. And for Donna, that meant being talked into more work.

So Donna slowly realized she was absolutely exhausted... and had no urge to keep going. What was the point? She'd lost everything, no one really cared about her. Not even Mickey or Jackie or Pete. No one would miss her...

So when Rose found the setting she was looking for, just as the stars seemed to be going out, and hurried to use it – bringing a big gun with her. The gun look didn't suit that little twit, Donna noted.

But she saw an opportunity... She typed her letter of resignation, and packed what little she hadn't unpacked from her four remaining bags. She figured out where to drop each bag off for donation, and was thinking about what chemicals she might need to purchase in order to fall asleep and never wake...

* * *

><p>When she finished tying all the knots at the company, she took her four bags and looked for Pete Tyler. Finding the Dimension Cannon seemed a good place to start. Since Mr. Tyler had gone out of his way to hire her, it seemed appropriate to hand her letter personally to him.<p>

And she vaguely noted that Jackie and Mickey were back. But she focused on just telling what was going to be. Pete read it in shock, and suddenly begged her to stay. Saying among other things, "Rose... She's gone. She's not returning. You'll have regular hours again, time to yourself."

She shook her head, and kept reiterating her refusal in the face of Pete's apologies. So tired, she thought... It'll soon be over...

"Excuse me!" It sounded like a shout to her, and she jumped with a scream as a skinny man (boy?) in a blue suit approached her. He was looking at her with an earnestness that she'd never seen from anyone since her Gramps was still alive. "If you're looking for something to do, we would love to have you join us."

Donna starred at him. "What are you talking about?"

The man flashed a maniacal grin, as if momentarily lost in a memory. "Donna, there's a whole universe waiting for you to see it. Just join me, my brother, his wife, and their daughter."

Her eyes followed his hand, and then she spotted something else that shocked her. The man in the brown suit looked almost exactly like the blue suit man! And then the woman standing next to him...

It like looking into a mirror from several years ago, before everything went to hell... The idea of you having a counterpart in another universe sank in right then. But the sight of someone looking like her, and clearly being married with a child... It was making something bubble inside... and it scared her. The man was talking, and Donna finally couldn't take it; he was making her feel too much, especially with how he was looking at her with so much emotion. Her hand flew against his cheek before she even knew she'd done it.

The shock as he recoiled from the force of her slap didn't surprise her, but then the sudden resignation that drifted across his face after a few moments – as he rubbed his cheek – did. "I should've known you'd slap as hard as she does."

Donna blinked at that, and then she heard her own voice speak from a distance. "Oi, Handy! Let me do the talking here!" She watched as her counterpart walked up to them, shooing Blue Suit away. Although he didn't go far – just far enough to be out of another slap's reach. The other woman gave a soft, friendly smile. "Hello. Sorry for the confusion. Life with this crowd is an extremely strange journey."

Brown Suit snorted, but suddenly stopped right after the other Her closed her eyes briefly. He acted like he'd been reprimanded – but no one said a word! Donna had to shake her head. "You're all from where Mickey and Jackie and... Rose are from."

The other Her nodded. "Yes, a parallel world. We're heading back because we're needed there, because it's our home, but there is room for another person. I... take it that there's nothing holding you here...?"

Donna could only nod, feeling so much bubbling up again. Especially with the gentleness in her tone. But she couldn't react like she had to Blue Suit; this was another her, and she didn't deserve such treatment.

The Other Donna smiled, reminding her of her Mum. "In that case... What have you got to lose by coming with us?"

Donna wanted to decline, but she sensed that this version of her knew what she was planning – and would interfere. Also... there was something rather pleading in Blue Suit's eyes... Something that tugged at her heart and made her want to take that away... And hadn't she always wanted to travel, and never had the time?

So she nodded before she could think further. It was probably worth a try, and she could always escape at some point if it didn't work out. The Other Donna gave her a soft smile, and took her hand. "You won't regret it. I'm glad you're taking the chance I wish I'd taken the first time this offer was made to me."

Donna blinked in confusion, but didn't have time to think. Her counterpart was gently tugging her toward what looked like one of those old blue Police Phoneboxes. "Handy," the woman called, evidently to Blue Suit, "get her bags, please. We need to move on to get home."

She was barely aware of the last goodbyes, and of the people who somehow all fit inside that box: a tall man in a military-style coat, an older woman with kind eyes, a beautiful dark-skinned woman, a young blond woman with an unusual expression in her eyes, a dark-haired man who followed the blond closely, and then Mickey.

Donna paid little attention as she and her counterpart entered, although she realized that there had to be some illusion happening. When they were inside, she looked around... and couldn't believe the sight in front of her. It was huge! All the devices! That strange thing in the center!

She didn't hear the doors close behind them, or the Suits enter. Blue Suit put down the bags, and walked up next to them. "So," he drawled, "welcome aboard the TARDIS. What do you think?"

It took her a moment to make her throat work. When it did, she could only voice one thought: "This... is... _completely_... impossible!"

Blue Suit just grinned wildly. "Nah, just a bit... unlikely."

She didn't notice how he was thinking of some memory with fondness. Or how her counterpart, Brown Suit, and the dark-skinned woman all rolled their eyes – after they'd also smiled over her words...


	3. Her Baffling New Home

**Author's Note**: I revisited this story since I've kinda been in a frustrated mood lately. But it also needed to be finished. So I'm trying to get through the planned ten total chapters. Let's see if Muse decides to try expanding this... And we're moving on past the alternate JE events! The happy starts building again! (Although Jenny is sure looking like she might need some serious therapy here... ;D)

Anyway, another shout-out to my beta, **basmathgirl**, for the Brit-picking here that I needed. You're the best!

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><p>PART 3: Her Baffling New Home<p>

When she woke, Donna wondered why she didn't recognize the walls or the bed. That thought made her sit bolt upright, alarmed. Had she pulled what some of her friends had? Gone somewhere and shagged some random man?

But it was just morning breath she felt in her mouth, and the room was clearly not a bloke's. It looked like something she might have chosen for a room long ago...

And then she heard voices she hadn't heard in ages. And remembered the events of yesterday. Being ready to end everything, and then getting swept off to another universe with her counterpart and a bunch of others.

She wept over the memory of, after waiting outside with Handy – as Blue Suit was bizarrely called, meeting this universe's Donna's family. Oh, God, how it both hurt and made her weep with joy to see her Mum and Gramps again – even if they weren't quite the people she knew! The tenderness they gave her, the complete understanding and patience... It was too much, and so she'd been led to her counterpart's bedroom to sleep – and she thought she remembered tasting something a little off in the tea she was given. Some sleeping aid, she realized, given how well she slept.

Had she had one decent sleep since...? No wonder she felt so much better...

That realization pushed her out of bed. She felt so torn about this whole thing, but for the first time, feeling didn't seem quite as scary as it had. These were people who cared, even the ones who left before that daft Box brought them here. Mickey had even hugged her before he went of with Military Jacket – who had given her a flirtatious smile before leaving (although she vaguely noticed – and wondered about – how Handy had _scowled_ at the man) – and Dark-Skinned Beauty. Their names escaped her. Even they'd shaken her hand, and welcomed her to their universe – especially Kindly Mother, who had her own son to return to.

Then smells reached her, and her stomach growled with the force of a jet engine. Oh, feeling hunger made her dizzy! She hadn't even realized how much she'd been suppressing.

And, somehow, it felt... safe here. In ways that she hadn't felt in years.

It was also kind of disturbing... And unnerving...

Needing to escape her own thoughts, she rushed through changing into some sweats – which were very large on her now – before heading downstairs. She found it necessary to take her time, as hunger was making it difficult to judge distances quickly...

As she reached the bottom, the young blond, Jenny, stepped from the kitchen – clearly hearing her footsteps. She beamed, although there was what Donna could recognize as polite restraint. "Good morning, Aunt."

Donna once again felt a little strange over suddenly being an aunt. Especially to a young (alien!) lady who looked twenty-something but was really only a few months old. But she was such a sweet girl, and had been so kind that Donna couldn't help but feel a bit protective toward her. So she couldn't help but return the offered hug.

Jenny had learned enough discretion to know to not ask certain questions. Especially after it came out that her new aunt had lost everything in the Cybermen attack her Dad had told her about. Knowing Dad, she'd thought, his overgrown sense of guilt made him wonder if he could be partly to blame for the whole thing. No wonder he didn't even argue over bringing Pete's World's version of Mum to our universe... "Come on, Aunt. Nan and Lee have made us a nice breakfast."

Donna let herself be guided to the kitchen, where a very spirited discussion was taking place. The source of the sounds that woke her.

"What about Jonathon?" The Other Her, sitting down and drinking hot tea, was apparently giving suggestions for the name Handy would go by around others.

Donna remembered vividly the explanation of the people around her. Brown Suit (who'd shed his jacket and tie for the moment) was an alien who called himself The Doctor, was Jenny's father, and somehow already wed to the other Donna – in some alien fashion that necessitated an Earth wedding in a few weeks, apparently. Lee McAvoy was a man from the 51st century who'd come with them when he'd evidently fallen for Jenny. (Donna found the whole thing a bit creepy, but her "sister" promised that it was actually a lot nicer than it seemed at first sense – also promising to tell the tale eventually.)

And then there was Blue Suit. "Handy" was apparently the nickname the Other Donna had gifted him with upon his "birth" just yesterday. The whole Meta-Crisis explanation gave Donna a headache, but it did explain why he looked and acted so much like the Doctor – and yet sometimes sounded more like the Other Donna... Although she definitely could appreciate why Jenny was _eager_ to forget having been there when Handy was created...

As Donna sat down, with food suddenly placed in front of her, the Doctor laughed. "Isn't that just another variation on 'John'? I already use that name!"

"How many people know that these days?" Gramps' question reminded Donna of how little people knew about name origins. It'd been important to her in selecting her children's names.

Handy grimaced. "Jonathon Smith. Yeah, that sounds lovely."

Donna, even as she felt awed over the smells and sights of the food, had to hide a smirk over the dripping sarcasm in Blue Suit's whole demeanor. She wondered if the tendency toward adorableness had been part of the Doctor's charm – for her counterpart, that is.

The Other Donna frowned. "Well, you've shot down everything else I've suggested!"

Handy just glared at her. "I'd rather also go by 'the Doctor' and deal with all the confusion!"

Jenny frowned. "But what's wrong with it?"

Lee cleared his throat. "D-Doesn't t-that invite jokes about... Jonathon Swift?"

Then both the Doctor and Handy got horrified looks. "No," they shouted as one. "Oh, no!"

Why the Other Donna looked a bit startled – and then understanding – was a complete mystery. "Okay," she said, "then what are we going to call you around others? We might as well call you 'James'!"

Handy flashed the most facially expressive contemplative look Donna had ever seen to some random spot on the wall behind them. Those men each had a wider facial repertoire than she'd thought possible. Then he shrugged. "Eh, it'll do. I can get used to it."

Jenny looked thoughtful. "At least it's a name with some dignity. And something that doesn't require explanation." She smirked. "Right, Uncle-Bro?"

He just waved off her snark and drank some tea. And then turned to face the table, nearly choking momentarily when he noticed the extra person. But he quickly recovered and grinned. "Oh, good morning! Enjoying your breakfast?"

Donna looked down at the plates in front of her, and she froze when she realized that she'd completely finished four slices of toast (with some butter and some jam), a few sausages, a few boiled eggs, and had almost finished the porridge before her. Oh, my God...

Then she felt Gramps come up and watched as some plates were taken away. "There, sweetheart. I think that's enough for now. You look like you need to get used to eating again."

She was too struck by the realization that she also had lost all sense of the pleasures of eating. She vaguely recalled the tastes of what she'd just eaten, but had no memory of practically inhaling her food.

Sylvia silently placed a fresh cup of tea in front of her, and refilled the cup in front of the... She had to speak. "This is gonna get confusing, being in a place where there's someone else who's called Donna Noble." Donna thought aloud to distract herself from thinking about her reawakened hunger. "How are we gonna handle that?"

Her counterpart sighed as she blew over her tea. "Anything you'd like us to call you?"

Donna thought about it, but froze as she realized she recognized the tea that her... "sister" was drinking. She'd only ever had it for one reason... Her eyes widened and her throat – and heart – clenched. "How far along...?"

The room went silent. It'd come out the night before that Donna had lost her entire family – including children – to the Cybermen. So no one had wanted to mention the news that – in the midst of panic – had been the saving grace for the Doctor's sanity yesterday. Her counterpart cleared her throat. "Ah, about... oh... a month. Give or take a few days. We just found out yesterday, and the symptoms only hit this morning."

Donna noticed that Jenny tensed a bit over the mention of the timing, which made the Doctor look a little uneasy. There's a story there, she realized vaguely. But she just nodded. And sipped her own tea.

The newly christened James strolled over. "So, back to the original question: what," he finished as he sat opposite the Donnas, "do you want us to call you?"

She could feel all eyes on her, but it wasn't as weird as she'd thought it would be. Somehow, she felt the difference between pity and curiosity – the latter was what she could feel from all of them at that moment. Empathy ran high among this crowd, so it was surprisingly... pleasant. "I..." Of course, she'd lost all ability to form a good sentence. "I don't know."

Her counterpart's eyebrows drew together, which suggested that a memory was coming forward. "Did you have any nicknames growing up that you liked? At least, well enough? I'm sure the other kids had some nasty ones for you, seeing as how so many are biased against gingers."

Donna was vaguely aware of the Doctor and James frowning, and exchanging a rather dark look. They look like they're plotting revenge, she thought idly. Shaking off the thought, and trying to not think about the odd look her counterpart was giving the two men (aliens?), she thought a moment. "Well, I remember my dad sometimes called me 'Belle.' I had my friends call me that for years."

Her counterpart laughed in delight. "Same here! God, I haven't thought about that name in years!"

Jenny frowned and looked at her mother. "What does 'Belle' mean? It must have a meaning; you talked about what my middle name meant when you gave it to me."

Both Donnas knew the answer, and spoke as one. "It's a French name, meaning 'beauty.'" And then they looked at each other, a bit surprised and a bit not.

James smiled fondly. "How about we call you 'Donna Belle,' in honor of that? You'd just be adding to your own name."

She paused, feeling some tears forming. "I don't think anyone ever called me that..." Certainly, she thought, no one since... Shaun... thought of me as a beautiful lady...

James frowned, worried. "You don't like it...?"

Neither noticed the inquisitive looks the rest of the room was giving – with varying degrees of suspicion...

She thought a moment. The idea sort of made her uneasy, but then... There was something about how Handy – no, it was James now! – spoke when he said it. There was a respect, a seeing her as a person in her own right – as worthy of being treated well. A wish to help. When had anyone really done that for her – and it hadn't been based on pity? That was the tipping point for her. She looked at her counterpart. "You wouldn't mind?"

The pregnant her shook her head with a smile. "Only thing that matters is if you like it enough to let us call you that."

She found a small smile. "Then I guess I have a new name." It dawned on her that it was one more step distancing herself from the life she'd led. In the midst of all the pangs of guilt and hurt, she felt a hint of something else building inside of her.

It'd been so long since she'd felt any really positive feelings that she couldn't identify what it was...

James beamed. "Molto bene! Now it's just taking the time to help you adjust to being here. Which I also have to do; I'm not exactly a common occurrence myself, but I'll gladly be a help. I'm uniquely qualified to help with being a double."

She laughed before she could stop herself. She couldn't help it; he looked so eager and excited about having something to do.

Although... it stunned her how easily the laugh fell from her lips. Had, she realized as the laughter stopped suddenly, she been healing and hadn't known it because she'd kept herself from feeling...?

James' face fell, and he gently took one of her hands. "Hey," he said softly, "don't beat yourself up over the past. There's some very wise words to remember, something I remember her," he nodded to her counterpart, "telling him," jerking his head back toward his progenitor, "once about dealing with loss: 'We go on. We live. We remember. What else can we do?'"

That sounds like something I would've said... back when... She thought a moment, and nodded. Even threw him a tiny smile to show that she really heard him. It felt strange to move her lips like that, but – as he'd said – she had to go on. Shawn wouldn't have wanted for me to suffer so much, she finally realized.

James' own smile was rather quirky. "Is it okay if I stick around to help you adjust? I mean, I've got to find my own path. It's gonna be confusing enough as it is, but we've all got fantastic minds. We'll figure something out."

I think he's the first man whose treatment of me makes me feel like a person again... I wasn't around Mickey enough for that to count... "Guess I wouldn't mind."

Then a cup was semi-slammed onto some countertop. "James," the Doctor barked tightly. "a word in the TARDIS." It wasn't a request, and James – scowling – understood it and slowly followed the Time Lord outside.

Donna Noble – this universe's original – glared daggers at her husband's retreating back, although he didn't seem to notice. She nearly slammed down her own tea and pushed herself up. "Sorry, but I'd better go and referee those skinny boys in suits." She rushed to follow them out.

Donna Belle Noble – only just starting to adjust to the name – watched, heard the front door close, and looked at the others. "What did I just miss?" They all look like they have a clue...

Lee surprised everyone else by answering. "T-they'll tell it w-when they're ready." His tone was final, accepting no further discussion. The others nodded, with varying degrees of thoughtfulness as they, too, eyed the window that let them see the TARDIS.

Donna Belle sighed. Wonderful... How long will I be kept in the dark...?

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><p>The TARDIS tried sending calming messages to her pilot, but he ignored every one of them. He even pretended to not hear his wife mentally screaming at him to, <em>Cool off a minute, Spaceman<em>! This, he was absolutely convinced, needs to be said – and the sooner the better, given all the signals that Handy's giving off!

He didn't note that the sheer fact that he'd noticed was a sign of how much his Donna's influence had changed him.

James followed slowly, and Donna rushed in right behind him. "What," she demanded aloud of her husband, "do you think you're doing, Sunshine?"

Knowing that he'd pay for ignoring her any longer, the Doctor sighed theatrically. "Something that _someone_ needs to do and it's obviously got to be me! Do you really want Donna Belle to get hurt again?"

"Excuse me?" James' voice raised to match his "brother's" tone. "I'm trying to help her adjust!" What is he on about?

The Doctor groaned aloud. "Oh, was I that thick _and_ transparent? And he's got some of you," he tossed as an aside to his wife, "in him! How can he be equally unaware?"

Some of Donna's anger faded a little. She realized that she hadn't been paying enough attention to what was coming off her husband in waves back there; she was moving past the last vestiges of the first bout of morning sickness, and hadn't noted much else beyond what the newly Christened Donna Belle was saying. Oh, blimey, he has a point...

The Donna side of James was _very_ offended at being called thick. It brought up too many bad memories... "Oi! Are you going somewhere with these insults? Or is it Pick-on-the-Duplicate Day all of a sudden?"

The Doctor stormed over, practically forcing James to step back a bit. "You carry all of my memories, and the emotions that accompany them. That means your actions toward Donna Belle could be influenced by my feelings for Donna. Have you even thought of how much she could be hurt by you overemphasizing _anything_? Even I can tell she's raw emotionally! I can recognize what it feels like to have lost everything!"

Donna flinched. She couldn't quite voice an objection to the vehemence in the Doctor's voice. Best, she suddenly realized, to get this out of both of them so they can behave themselves again...

James' whole expression flared, indignation radiating from every pore. "I'd never hurt her! Besides," he shouted back, thinking of the one thing guaranteed to shut his brother up for the moment, " I'm just being helpful since you two are going to be focusing on getting you through the upcoming wedding!"

That got Donna's voice back. "Shut it, Spaceboy! That's going too far!" She pushed them apart.

Not that the Doctor could put up a fight over it; his face went from furious to slack in less than a second after James spoke. He numbly let Donna guide him the short distance to the Jump Seat.

Seeing the depth of the shock made James pause a moment. Oh, he slowly realized, maybe that _was_ too much... Might've made things worse...

Donna pulled the Doctor's head against her, so he could be soothed by her heartbeats. (That she knew that the parts of her anatomy he was _also_ resting against consistently distracted him did not factor at all into her reasoning.) She sighed as she sang to the panic-stricken alien – whose memories about weddings going wrong and how he was at his absolute worst rubbish at his own were running rampant – through their bond. Aloud, she gently told James, "Look, just don't allow whatever you remember about being him to unduly influence your behavior toward her, all right?" Is he as blind as Spaceman was, she wondered in a part of her mind that she wasn't letting him hear.

James couldn't yell at Donna. No, he knew, that's _his_ claim – when she lets him get away with it. "I just want to see her recover, to once again be the brilliant woman we all know she is. That's what I want to focus on, and I'm not going to make plans beyond that. Except," he owned, rubbing his neck in that embarrassed way that the Tenth Doctor showed being nervous as guilt over his previous words grew, "when I'm needed to help smooth... family matters over."

That's a diplomatic way of putting it, Donna thought with some pride. He didn't get that entirely from the Prawn here... She nodded. "Would you make sure the others stay out for a few hours? Call when someone's ready to come back in."

He frowned, but quickly realized that he should be elsewhere... promptly! "Okay... Guess I'll go... keep them from asking too many questions about the other moment." He finished awkwardly, and hurried out – making sure the doors were shut. Don't want to make him any madder...!

Blindness to one's own feelings doesn't mean you're blind to others. Not even a duplicate Tenth Doctor could manage that when he had Donna's memories as well...

Donna shook her head, well aware that she was surrounded by cheeky people. And was practically assured of having equally cheeky children. At least, she sighed, we'll get the worst one out of the way first...

The Doctor was trying to not think about what would happen in a few weeks. About the awful things he feared _could_ happen, but this incarnation was rubbish at avoiding the bad thoughts. Unless he found something else to focus on.

Donna sensed that thought, and smirked. Oh, and I know the _perfect_ way of distracting you... She tilted his head back to snog him into needing his respiratory bypass.

Oh, Rass- He couldn't even finish the thought. The change in focus was so abrupt that his mind wouldn't produce coherent thought. Especially as her hands drifted down and her lips slowly traveled along his neck...

Donna's method was so effective that he couldn't keep a goofy grin off his face when they returned to Sylvia's a few hours later. Or _quite_ walk steadily... The sight was so silly it even made Sylvia, Lee, and Donna Belle chuckle, and James and Wilf laugh out loud.

Poor Jenny, however, just covered her eyes. And prayed her parents would never publicly embarrass her with their obvious... love...


	4. Victorian London's Savior

Author's Note: Wow... This chapter was tricky to write at first, and I kept having to walk away from it. But then I resumed this practice called "mind dumping" first thing in the morning, and then that first morning I did it, I finished this chapter! Yes!

I must admit... I think I'm getting sick of this fic-verse. But I want to finish this story; it's easier to move on to new stories with fewer WIPs.

That said, I know that more than one of you WILL be asking me to write a particular adventure I allude to here. I promise you: I'll write it when I'm good and ready...

* * *

><p>PART 4: Victorian London's Savior<p>

A few weeks had made a universe of a difference in Donna Belle Noble's life. She was eating almost normally again – although she couldn't manage as much food as she once had; her body had gotten used to smaller meals. (Which wasn't so bad; when she regained the weight, she would look a bit slender whilst keeping all of her womanly curves.) She was starting to crave the attention and love she was getting from her new family, which showed how tactile she really was. And she was seeing the possibility of doing something entirely new here.

The one person whose presence was starting to mean more than anyone else? James. Not Donna, not her new Mum, or her new Gramps. But the "Duplicate Doctor," who had become an absolute Godsend to her. Oh, her sister was doing her a world of good, but there was something about having a man treating you like a person and managing to take care of you without making you feel helpless...

Though she wondered why the Doctor kept eying James' behavior... What did he expect his Duplicate to do? Jump her? She was skin and bones, and a widow who was rebuilding her life! On an entirely different world!

Donna Belle even asked her sister the question, but got a rather cryptic response: "It's complicated, and I promised James that we wouldn't get involved."

Sometimes her sister was just as mysterious as the alien she'd married. Or rather, was going to marry in just an hour...

Speaking of weddings... She spent some time watching her sister getting help into her dress from their mother. And was fine with it at first...

And then the memories of Shaun and everything and everyone from her old life trickled into her conscious mind... Making her tremble and feel sick...

Even Jenny's stories about how the Doctor was so nervous he was doing a grand impression of someone inches away from flailing like a madman failed to calm her. Yes, she had empathy for him given the stories he'd – reluctantly – admitted to about the past weddings he'd been at or part of, but guilt and fear were making her feel like the room was trying to crush her – body and spirit.

A knock on the door interrupted the preparations. Jenny hurried to see who it was, and snorted after she opened the door. "How is he now, Uncle James? Has Aunt Martha followed through with getting a ball and chain?"

Donna snorted, but Donna Belle couldn't manage a smile. The story had amused her earlier, but now...?

James was let in, his face a mix of concern and the tiniest hint of a smirk. "I swear Lee and I have headed off at least six near-panic attacks." The smile faded quickly. "He's practically losing his head with worry, and I'm at a loss about what to do now."

Donna sighed. "Oi, I was afraid of this... Did you have to make that comment that day?"

James held his hands up, alarmed, "Hey! I said I'm sorry, but do we really want to get into that here?"

Donna frowned. Yeah, it wasn't a good idea to mention that you thought your brother-in-law might be falling for your new sister because she was – in many ways – you, and he exists because of your husband. Especially in front of said new sister when she was still grieving her late husband and children... And when said brother-in-law seemed ignorant of his own feelings...

Then James noted how uneasy their newest addition was looking. "Donna Belle, are you all right?"

Donna Belle could only shake her head, but she was trying to shake off her stupor. All she could feel was her heart beat faster as she thought about her losses...

James quickly knelt and gently grasped her hands. "Are you sure you want to be here...?" The barest whisper, asking if she wanted an out without outright saying it...

Donna Belle tried to answer, but her throat clenched. Swallowing didn't help.

Sylvia sighed. "Maybe you need some air, sweetheart. You really do look pale."

The air comment suddenly gave James a brainwave. And he started smiling. "Wait, I've got it! Donna Belle, how about you and I go on a TARDIS adventure? It'll take your mind off this!"

The other women in the room stared at him in shock. But Donna Belle just fixed her eyes on James' expectant ones. "An... adventure... when our siblings are marrying...?"

James' smile turned softer, and his eyes comforting. "There's no reason to go through something – no matter how much your family might want you there – if it's only going to make you... extremely uncomfortable." No point, he knew, in saying what it was really doing to her...

Donna sighed. "If you're having a hard time right now, maybe the fresh air and a little adventure is just what you need. Remember how much you loved seeing Bath and Jane Austen?"

Donna Belle's lips curved into a tiny grin of remembered pleasure. Even though they'd saved the day, it had ultimately been responsible for the great (then future) author missing out on being happily in love. But Jane Austen herself had understood that sometimes you had to sacrifice what you wanted for the sake of many; her whole life, she had seen evidence of that. Maybe it had fed into her work...

James' face started falling. "How about it...?" He really wanted her to agree; he had never been alone with her – and that appeared to be the Doctor's doing, the cheeky and overprotective sod! – and he was positive that she'd benefit from some time away from everyone else. Especially, he thought, right now...

Suddenly, an escape sounded really good. So Donna Belle nodded. "Just let me change back into regular clothes first."

"Wait," Jenny interrupted, holding up a hand. "Uncle James, how are you going to talk Dad into agreeing to this?"

James just grinned confidently...

/=/=/=/=/

The Doctor's feet wouldn't let him sit down, despite Lee's best efforts to calm him. The others were simply no help, not even Sarah Jane. He now knew he couldn't count on Martha to be a calming influence, and even the Brig was seeming like not so great a friend at the moment...

Seeing James suddenly entering was both a relief and cause for concern. "How is she? Everything all right?"

James nearly avoided rolling his eyes, but had to grab his twin by the arms in an attempt to get him to sit. "Donna is fine. Almost perfectly calm, in fact. Wanted me to tell you to sit down before you wear a groove into the floor."

Those words, combined with a pushing that his twin had never tried before, shocked the Doctor into letting himself be guided to plop on a cushioned chair. The others wondered why they hadn't thought to have Jenny try being the go-between when she left earlier...

James managed to avoid smirking at his success. "Listen, I know you're worried about trouble finding us. Well, I've got an idea. Why don't I take the TARDIS and see if I can draw any possible trouble away from here?"

It took the Doctor a few seconds longer than it should've – even accounting for shock – to register the words. "What? Off by yourself?"

"I won't be alone. Donna Belle is coming along."

The Time Lord's eyes narrowed. _Just_ the two of them...?

The Time Human groaned. "Oi! It's as much for her as it is for you! She's getting overwhelmed by memories, and I thought an adventure would be the perfect medicine. I'll find some place to keep her mind off her past, and she'll keep me out of trouble. Well, _too much_ trouble, knowing that I'm mostly you..."

The Doctor wasn't sure he liked it, since he _knew_ that his twin wasn't exactly aware of his own feelings (like progenitor, like progenitee). But... he was more concerned about this going okay... So... he nodded and sighed. "Just come back, all three of you."

James smirked. "You couldn't get rid of us if you tried."

That made the Doctor crack a smile. It reminded him of the day he met Donna...

/=/=/=/=/

Jenny wanted to roll her eyes as her parents stared into each other's eyes. As sweet as her Mum's words had been... there was only so much parental PDA she could stand. She wanted to tell them to get a room, but there wasn't exactly sound-proofing in her Great-Gramps' house.

She knew because she'd had to wake her aunt from a nightmare the other evening... She knew that any Donna Noble could scream, but that had given her chills that almost matched seeing her father so... broken... after Midnight...

Sylvia and Wilf exchanged a knowing smile watching the happy couple. It was both moving and amusing to see the usually collected Doctor – yes, he had his hyper moments, but they'd never seen him so emotional that he couldn't speak, and this was a male being who _always_ had something to say – so moved by the moment that his mouth was silenced. Without being kissed.

Donna, not caring about what the others were thinking, could feel that her Spaceman was trying to avoid crying. Well aware of how male he really was (even if he tried to deny it), she wrapped her arms around him and planted a tender one on him. And nearly smiled into the kiss when he almost immediately deepened it.

Jenny groaned aloud. "Not again," she muttered, leaning into Lee's side.

The older man hid a smile over how obvious a child's discomfort over her parents' actions could be. Sometimes he marveled over the things she was a complete innocent about.

A knock on the door interrupted everything – except the kiss, which the Doctor had no intention of stopping just yet...

Sylvia went to the door, seeing through it that James and Donna Belle were back. She opened it. "About time, you-" And cut herself off upon seeing how pale they both were – especially her new daughter. And noted how she was leaning into him like he was her life support.

"I think we seriously need a cuppa," James said quietly. "Rough day."

Sylvia reached for Donna Belle. "Come on, sweetheart. You look cold. Let's get you warmed up." She was able to draw her out of James' arms and into her own, bringing her inside in the process.

As James handled the door, Jenny poked her head out... and froze. "Oh, my God..." She didn't see that her words prodded her parents into stopping and listening. "What happened...?"

Sylvia guided Donna Belle into the living room, where the others' eyes widened. "Oh, love," Wilf cried, "you look bit shell-shocked."

"Might," Donna Belle whispered, surprising the whole room, "as well be..."

The Doctor looked hard at James. "What happened," he demanded.

James swallowed. And quietly said, "Cybermen."

That, after the usual shock, set off a chain reaction. Donna flew up to help her mother and grandfather bundle Donna Belle into some blankets – after she was helped out of her coat and jacket. Lee and Jenny quickly made more tea, and the Doctor was dragging the story of Victorian London out of James.

"But even in her shock," James said, slightly raising his voice so they all heard, "she managed to focus on helping Jackson Lake and me find our answers and save the children. And she helped me stop the CyberKing."

Jenny almost didn't ask, but she was a little too curious. "What's that?"

The Doctor looked a little sick. "A giant conversion machine shaped like a Cyberman. Can convert thousands or more at once."

Donna paled, and grabbed her sister's hands. "Oh, God, we thought we were doing you a favor in encouraging you to have an adventure instead of watching this day..."

Donna Belle, pulling her hands away to accept a teacup from Lee, swallowed. "Actually, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I mean... I counted myself lucky that I didn't see any of them the last time they were in Pete's World... but I'd always thought I'd freeze completely at seeing them again. Just... let whatever happened happen. But... after a few seconds, all I could think about was stopping them from hurting anyone else. I _needed_ to help others." She couldn't believe it, but now that she had some distance from the moment, and had heard James' reassurance, she felt yet another "new" feeling. "I'm... I'm really healing... and I didn't see it happening..."

James' shocked smile was the biggest. It was such a promising sign. "I told you you were brilliant."

Donna Belle looked at him, and smiled gratefully. "I'm not sure I could've done it without you."

He shrugged, trying to play it off. "Have more faith in yourself."

The others just noticed the undertones in their actions, body language, and words. And wondered if it was a good thing...


	5. Wormholes and Revealed Feelings

**Author's Note**: Big thanks to basmathgirl for this edit. I wasn't sure about this chapter...

* * *

><p>PART 5: Wormholes and Revealed Feelings...<p>

Donna's pregnancy meant that it wasn't safe for her to keep at the Doctor's side all the time anymore. So increasingly, the rest of her family had to step up. Usually, that meant Jenny and Lee, as Donna Belle was still mostly keeping to Earth – and James was growing increasingly reluctant to part from her.

Which amused most of the family. The Doctor, on the other hand, was watching for any signs that it wasn't a good thing for Donna Belle. While he knew she was resilient, he had no wish for her to endure any hurt thanks to his twin! In fact, he'd probably feel compelled to throw a punch at James if that happened!

His wife had to keep swatting him in a reminder to behave. So he could frequently be seen rubbing his arms...

But one afternoon when the Doctor detected an anomaly in London itself, James was away helping Martha and Mickey figure some things out for UNIT. Jenny and Lee were having a go at handling TARDIS maintenance. Wilf would have gladly gone, but neither Donna nor Sylvia was willing to let him run off on an adventure. And Donna Belle didn't stand for it, either. And since Sylvia wouldn't leave Donna's side...

So Donna Belle found herself struggling to keep up with the Doctor as he used his hand scanner – if she followed his explanation correctly, he'd modified it since the Aidpose Industries incident which reunited him and her sister – to determine where they needed to go. Her sister hadn't been kidding when she said there was a ridiculous amount of running involved in traveling with the Doctor, but it did help Donna Belle feel closer to being back into a fit state. (She'd almost regained everything she'd lost in her depression.)

Hopping onto a bus, and trying to remind him that not everyone was keen on Easter eggs (she still couldn't believe how much could fit into those pockets and not go bad!), was bad enough. But then to suddenly be on another planet...? And watching the bus driver die needlessly...?

Oh, my God, she'd thought, how are we getting home...?

The thought got stronger when, soon after, the Doctor flinched and nearly stumbled. It'd allowed the dark-haired woman they'd sat next to to take charge. Donna Belle intended to challenge it on their behalf, but then the Doctor – looking paler than she'd ever seen him – whispered that he could feel that Donna was in labor.

Paling, Donna Belle could only make one comment: "She's going to slap the living daylights out of you for not being there..."

The pained look in his eyes was all the answer she needed... And she felt a powerful wish that James could've been there instead; the Doctor could be helping Donna, after all. And... yes, she'd feel better with him there...

Suddenly, the significance of that wish hit her. She was at her calmest and happiest when James was around... He made her laugh the hardest, could provoke the strongest reactions, and... she sometimes just didn't feel _quite_ comfortable without him...

Oh, bugger...! She couldn't possibly be... in love, could she...?

* * *

><p>James had just finished helping Martha and Mickey when word came down that a bus had disappeared. Apparently a fugitive with possessions from a gallery was on board. Only the disappearing part caught James' attention, and he hurried to join UNIT on the scene. He was already at Headquarters, after all!<p>

While he was helping Malcolm Taylor – God, he'd thought within a minute of meeting the man, could these scientists just for once not be in the throes of hero-worship? Because this one would be just fine if he dropped that act! – set up the monitoring system so they could figure out what happened, he got an urgent call from Jenny: "Mum's in labor. We've got Martha on the way – Mickey's driving her. But we can't reach Dad! He left his phone in the TARDIS! We tried Aunt Donna Belle, but we can't get through!"

James wasn't happy about any of that. As much as he understood that Donna Belle was the next best thing for the Doctor to have by his side to keep him out of trouble, he was in a near-panic at the news. He couldn't stop thinking about what might go wrong since he couldn't be there to protect her...

And although James was able to function enough to keep going, part of his mind could only focus on a stunning realization. The Doctor had seen much more clearly than James had been able to in the... circumstances... The Time Lord had suspected from the start where James' feelings were heading, and now the Time Human's breath was taken away as he realized that he, too, had fallen completely in love with a Donna Noble...

As soon as Jenny hung up, he promptly tried dialing Donna Belle's number. If his suspicions were right, then his own proximity to the wormhole should let his call get through...

The ringing grated his nerves as he eyed the readings before him. But he only had to hear two before it cut off. "James! Are you in the TARDIS?"

Donna Belle! He forced back his sigh of relief. "No, but I am in a UNIT command post near the wormhole. Where are the two of you?"

"I... I don't know... and neither does he." Her hesitation spoke volumes, but the lowered tone said that she didn't want the others around to overhear. Always thinking about keeping the peace, he realized.

Sighing, he opened his mouth to speak, but his brother's voice broke in – its owner apparently having grabbed the phone. Which launched James into a back-and-forth over the uncertain condition of the bus, the alarming state of the planet they were on, and the concerns of the psychic woman on board the bus. But at least everyone seemed like they were good in a crisis, so he had hope that a solution could be found. Maybe UNIT had something they could fly through, giving them the supplies they'd need to bring the bus and everyone on it home...

If nothing else, they could detect where in space and time they were, and Jenny and Lee could go collect them with the TARDIS. James carried that in the back of his head as the Doctor announced that he and Donna Belle were heading toward some strange readings he was picking up on.

And prayed that this wouldn't be one of those awful days when _everything_ went wrong...

* * *

><p>Stepping on Earth had never been such a relief to the Doctor. Getting back to Donna was within sight! Oh, he had to yank Donna Belle from having to go through any "processing," but he supposed there were some perks to still being considered part of UNIT.<p>

Even though the soldiers and officers _still_ insisted on saluting him. And the scientists had their own awe-struck reactions... Being hugged by a man who wasn't gay or... _flexible_? That was a first...

He was really grateful to Donna Belle for being there. She'd helped him keep a level head, and figure out things that needed doing.

She also kept Lady Christina at a distance. If not for her, he might've had to endure _yet another_ woman kissing him. As it was, he'd flinched when the thief – really, he could use the label because this aristocrat was taking it to an art form that made him worry about just what River was going to become – called him 'Spaceman.' Donna Belle had promptly taken exception: "Oi! Only my sister and I have the right to call him that!" Or the lovely pointing at his left ring finger moment while they were walking: "That's my sister's ring he's wearing, you stuck up slag!"

He had to hide a smile over her efforts to protect her sister's claim. Oh, he _could've_ handled it, but what a lovely entertainment it'd been to just let her do it...!

Not that he could admit to it... Donna herself might slap him for that kind of cheek... Blimey, Donna Belle might even beat her to it...!

The way the UNIT members on-site responded to him distracted him from properly noting how James had rushed forward to greet them. Especially the way that he and Donna Belle clutched each other in their reunion hug – too choked for words. Instead, he was too distracted by casually explaining what ought to be done, including encouraging Captain Magambo to consider giving Nathan and Barcley a chance to earn a place in UNIT. The lads were very good in the crisis, and deserved a second chance.

And then having to explain to Lady Christina that, no she couldn't come with them. "Because there's already _two_ reckless people traveling in the TARDIS," he explained, pointing to himself and to James. At the shocked look when the aristocratic career criminal saw the resemblance, he shrugged. "My brother." But he did ask the detective who had been waiting for the chance to arrest Lady Christina to speak with UNIT and Torchwood about whether either agency was willing to have the woman work for them as an alternative to a jail sentence. "Those breaking and entering abilities might be useful in thwarting some future threat..."

The detective wasn't thrilled, but Captain Magambo was willing to consider it. "It's the best I can do, Lady Christina," the Doctor told the disbelieving aristocrat. Eventually, he figured she would be fine with it...

All further talk – including from the policeman – was temporarily silenced as the TARDIS appeared. "Oh, thank Rassilon!" The Doctor's relieved exclamation made James smirk. "I do need to get home!"

The doors suddenly opened, and a frazzled Jenny stormed out – marching right up to her father, who suddenly went very pale. The Time Lady stopped and folded her arms in a manner identical to Donna. "This is a direct quote, Dad: 'If that bloody alien doesn't get his skinny arse in here within two minutes of this landing, I might slap him into his next regeneration!'" She even imitated her mother...

It would've gotten him inside immediately. Except someone spoke. "Doctor," Carmen – the woman with extraordinary psychic abilities – said, staring at him with the look of someone who had bad news, "you take care now."

He mustered a smile, although it was a bit forced knowing that Donna had to be at the end of her patience. "You, too. Chops and gravy, lovely!"

"No," Carmen insists. "But you be careful. Sir, although I see you living for many years yet, your base song will soon end."

That made a number of people freeze. But none more than the Doctor, James, and Jenny. Even Donna Belle felt her inside go cold – and she wasn't sure what this song talk meant...

"It is returning," Carmen told him. "It is returning through the dark. And then, Doctor – oh, but then..." She paused for a moment, creating a silence far more frightening than any words, and finally said, "He will knock four times."

The Doctor stared at her, completely pale. Remembering Ood Sigma's words, and wondering how much that telepath could see of the future... Unable to offer his own daughter any comfort from the terror of being reminded that she could lose him – or anyone she loved – at any moment...

Donna Belle grasped James' trembling hand tightly, trying to be supportive. But then Carmen turned her eyes on her, and surprised them all with a warm smile. "Do not let fear ruin things, Ma'am." Her gaze flickered down briefly. "Happiness is _in_ your grasp."

And the ginger could only stare in disbelief, watching as Carmen slowly turned and followed her husband and a UNIT officer toward wherever they were headed.

The Doctor, desperate for an escape, rushed inside the TARDIS, throwing his coat off and over a railing as he let the Old Girl guide him to Donna. Rassilon, I shouldn't be thinking about this self's death when my child's about to be born! Please let me get through the rest of today with no more surprises...!

He didn't hear James bidding a quick farewell to Captain Magambo or the others, or notice when the TARDIS got back into the Vortex. He only had eyes and ears – and other senses – for the pained cries of his wife. Who then realized he'd made it. _About bloody time_, she screamed in his mind, _Spaceman! What kept you away?_

He rushed into the medbay – where Martha was keeping an eye on some scanners, and Sylvia was patting Donna's forehead with a cool cloth – and grabbed Donna's slapping hand to kiss it tenderly before planting a deeply apologetic kiss on her lips. _Trying to save seven lives – not counting mine and Donna Belle's – and stopping metal stingrays from coming to Earth to devour everything in their path._

Donna, when he broke the kiss, raised her eyebrow as she panted through the aftermath of a contraction. _Okay, the latter's a new one... How many of those things were there?_

He shrugged. _Didn't have the time to check; they'd eaten every living thing off that planet we were stuck on._

Fair enough, she knew. Although that last detail made her shiver. _Everyone make it okay?_

His downcast eyes persuaded her to drop the subject. Also, she could feel that something else was weighing on his mind. So she squeezed his hand. _Get up behind me; I need support if we're going to let gravity help this along._

Surprised at the reprieve, the Doctor eagerly followed orders. I can deal with Sylvia snapping at me after the day I've had...

* * *

><p>Everyone waited in the kitchen. Lee kept busy by keeping tea warm and poured, and helping Wilf – who couldn't stay still with the excitement of soon meeting his second great-grandchild – fix some snacks. The man from the future was focusing on remaining calm so he could help anyone who needed it.<p>

Mickey was sitting in a corner, his thoughts with Martha and how their lives had changed since meeting the Doctor. Oh, there were still a few things he wished could've been different (saving a lot of people, including himself, heartache), but he knew that he was – all in all – happy with his life.

Jenny was pacing restlessly, trying to think of things to keep herself occupied. She was about to meet her sister – this time, knowing exactly who she was and would one day be. Her last meeting with River still bothered her, and she wasn't sure how to act. Bugger, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to act around a baby!

James and Donna Belle sat near each other, but neither could find anything to say. Everything either wanted to speak of was too private for the present company.

After some time, James couldn't take it anymore. If I'm going to continue to be a help to her, I'm going to have to come clean. Maybe, he tried telling himself, it's for the best if I'm shot down now rather than later...

It wasn't a comforting thought...

Donna Belle noticed how restless James was in his chair. Can I do anything for him... without saying something he might not want to hear from me...?

James stood. "Walk with me, Donna Belle?" His voice was a whisper, not wanting to draw attention to either of them. Best for her, especially...

She looked up at him, puzzled, but happy to join him if that calmed him down. And she glanced behind them as they went into the hall. No one seemed to notice their departure...

The Console Room came quickly into view, and then the kitchen suddenly seemed quite a distance away. Thanks for making sure this is kept private, Old Girl, James silently told the TARDIS. The ship gave the mental equivalent to a pat on the head – although he swore the ship was laughing at him. Figures she'd love Donna Belle as much as she loves Donna...

She watched his face, and felt her insides go cold as she noticed how... scared and uncertain he looked. "James, what's wrong?"

He flinched, reminded once again just how perceptive any incarnation of Donna Noble was. Three different parts of him warred inside his mind: the Doctor side was scared shitless about losing her by admitting to his feelings, the human side from his sister-in-law said he had to think about Donna Belle before all else, but the third part – a part that belonged solely to him – firmly insisted that he had no choice. So he blurted it out: "I've fallen in love with you, Donna Belle."

She sucked in a quiet breath, unable to blink. Unable to move. Unable to think...

With that eight word sentence out in the open, more words just tumbled out of his mouth – while his eyes dropped to the floor in front of Donna Belle and his hands couldn't stop waving around. "I didn't know how I could keep helping you while trying to keep that a secret, although I just realized it when I found out where you were. I was so scared that you might not make it, that he wouldn't be able to keep you alive or that you'd have to – oh, God, I hate to even think it – give your own life to save everyone else, that I could barely function."

He... was feeling the same... Her mind had trouble wrapping itself around the idea – even knowing that their siblings had found each other...

"I mean, I see now why my brother was eying me whenever I was around you. I swore I'd never cause you any harm, but he was right to worry. It could be awkward enough in a typical family, but with this one? Well... I wouldn't blame you for being turned off by how I was created."

You couldn't help it, she thought almost instantly. And it saved the universe... And if my sister never saw you as her child...

He forced his hands into his pockets as the frantic energy suddenly left him. "It just didn't feel right to keep being as close as we've been and trying to lie to myself like that. Guess having bits of both of them in me made fibbing in any way to those I... love... seem wrong. But I won't say anything more. Especially since you're still healing..."

Donna Belle's eyes widened further as she realized that James was terrified of rejection, and was trying to protect himself by thinking that she was still too attached to Shaun. But was she...?

James went silent. All the fight was gone. Now she held all the cards, and he'd – as much as he'd tried not to – left his single heart at her feet. She could trample all over it with one word...

Carmen's words played in Donna Belle's mind: 'Do not let fear ruin things, Ma'am. Happiness is _in_ your grasp.' I was holding James' hand... She was telling me about _my_ future...!

As much as the past tried to keep her where she was, her need to help enabled her to overcome what could've been paralyzing fear. Her voice didn't work, though... So she silently pulled his head down to give him the tenderest kiss she could, pouring all she felt for him into it.

James could've been knocked over with a feather – if Donna Belle's hands weren't anchoring him to her. But the shock quickly gave way to a rapidly growing joy and relief that left him without words, and he wrapped his arms around her – which drew her arms around his neck.

They stayed lip-locked for a while. James rejoiced in the newness and delight of the moment – which proved that a lot of the memories he carried from both halves of his creation had been dulled. Donna Belle was overwhelmed by sensations that she hadn't felt in so long that they seemed almost foreign...

Only when the need for air beat the urge to keep on did they – reluctantly – part lips. They stared at each other in awe-struck silence. He was thanking any higher power that might be listening that he could be so lucky, and she was marveling over getting a second chance that felt... frighteningly right...

From a distance, Martha's voice broke the silence. "Who wants to meet the Time Baby?"

Cheers immediately erupted from the kitchen, and they could hear the others rushing to the medbay.

Donna Belle blushed a little. "Maybe we should keep this to ourselves for a while...?"

James nodded. "Let them have their moment." Besides, he reflected as he let her lead the way to join the family, he wanted to prove that they'd figured things out by the time his brother – who was still a bloody dunce as far as he was concerned! – found out. Donna would probably be okay, and be on their side...

They arrived to see Wilf rocking a little blond baby bundled in a blanket, and cooing to her. Sylvia was right next to him, beaming with awed pride at the eyes staring at her and Wilf in curiosity. Mickey was helping Martha clean up the mess, talking quietly with her all the while. Lee was smiling at the scene before him. Jenny... stared uncertainly at little River.

Of course, they barely noticed it all. The baby was enough to capture anyone's attention. James could see the features that would one day form into River Song, but for now she seemed to resemble Sylvia quite a bit – except for the Doctor's eyes. On instinct, he gently grasped and squeezed Donna Belle's hand. And glanced her way to see how she was taking it...

Donna Belle was actually caught up in good memories of her late children. Although she did feel a giant twinge of pain as she looked on her (beautiful) niece. But it went away when she felt James squeeze her hand. She gave him a grateful smile. Thank you, she mouthed.

He just smiled softly back.

On the other side of the room, Donna was leaning back into the Doctor's supporting body. Her breath was coming back to her as her body began its slow recovery. But aside from watching as her baby was lovingly shown to the others, all she could focus on was the Doctor's choked voice, whispering, "You're amazing, Donna. Completely amazing and brilliant..."

She wouldn't tease him about this. She didn't trust her own voice at that moment, either. All she could do was gently squeeze his hands, which was a bit tricky since he was hugging her tightly.

But then she noticed Jenny hesitating when Wilf offered her the chance to hold her sister. Donna sighed, mentally kicking herself for not seeing this coming. "Jenny, come here, please."

The Time Lady obeyed, looking puzzled at her mother – and, as Donna noted, with a lot of uncertainty in her eyes. Donna managed to point this out to her husband, who relaxed his hold so she could open her arms to their eldest. She had to tug the girl into a hug, which the Doctor tightened. "Love," Donna whispered to her face, "it doesn't matter how many children I bear for your father. We'll _never_ ever love you any less."

She felt him nod at her shoulder. "A parent's ability to love knows no bounds," he firmly stated.

Jenny's eyes became watery, and she sank against her parents' embrace. Gentle tears fell from her face, and the Doctor helped Donna rock her slightly – despite the awkwardness of the movements.

When Donna focused again on the room, she saw that James was taking a turn holding little River. Talking in complete sentences, but it sounded like bullocks to her. Yet, if what she could sense from her baby's mind was any indication, it was appealing to River – even as she was puzzled over the person who was Uncle and not Daddy, despite his appearance.

Then, a moment that impressed everyone in the room. Donna Belle reached to take River into her own arms. More than one breath was held as she settled the baby against her, but those were released as baby and aunt seemed okay with each other. My sister is healing, Donna sighed in relief.

"What's her name?" Mickey broke the silence, looking at the second-time parents. "Or is she going to have a title, like her father?"

Donna snorted, mentally warning her Spaceman to be quiet. "Well, she'll be known by one thing in the future. But until she's grown, we're concerned that people might make the connection and try to harm her before she can defend herself. So we had to give her a different – yet connected – name. And I found the perfect combination. She'll be called Flumena Abigail."

Jenny frowned. "What does that mean?"

Donna Belle answered. "If you put her last name first, it means 'the noble river that brings joy.'"

James beamed. "It fits her perfectly." The others murmured their agreement, and even Jenny smiled a little.

"Sister," Donna said after a moment, "I think it's time little Flumena properly met her big sister." The request was happily answered, and Donna got the joy of watching Jenny hold a baby for the first time, and soon warm up to talking her own form of nonsense. After all, Donna thought, I told her that she'd be an important role model. Whatever is in River's future, she's got the best family she could ask for.


	6. A Fixed Point, Or Something in Flux?

Author's Note: NaNo is over, and I won! :D Got the final chapters back from BMG while I was still in the midst of the challenge, and now I've gotten back to finishing this. The final chapters will come pretty quickly now.

PART 6: A Fixed Point, Or Something in Flux?

Life with a group of time travelers, Donna Belle quickly learned, was a tricky thing. As James explained it early on, a Time Lord had the burden of always being able to see practically every possible time-line that had been, could be, and must not be. _Practically_, he'd stressed, because said Time Lord's own time-line usually remained a complete mystery to him. _Despite_ being exposed to the Untempered Schism, which supposedly showed them everything.

Which explained the near mess the Doctor had made of his relationship with Donna... And with others... including one whose name Donna Belle could now hear with _relative_ calm...

And now Donna Belle was spending a good part of her time helping at UNIT. Turned out her talents that had make her successful in Pete's World were immediately needed at UNIT; their records were such an absolute mess, it was a miracle if they could find anything they needed. In fact, she figured the only reason they could quickly find information on the Doctor was because the higher-ups had made those files priority items.

Once she put what was called SuperTemp knowledge to work and tamed the UNIT files, creating a system that would serve them for the rest of time, she was instantly offered a job. Yeah, it was more clerical than anything else, but it suited her. Constantly traveling in the TARDIS didn't really appeal to her; she wanted to get something a little quieter for her life.

She'd breathed a huge sigh of relief that James didn't hold it against her. Seemed that meta-crisis thing that created him had made him a bit more domestic than his brother. Donna Belle and Donna had shared a smirk when the Doctor had exclaimed his disbelief that anyone with his memories and personality could possibly want to stay in one place that much.

Of course, given the story James told about when the Doctor was exiled to Earth without the ability to travel, she understood where he was coming from. His was a restless spirit, calmed only by his wife and daughters.

She supposed he'd be even more antsy if Jenny didn't have someone basically waiting for her to grow up a bit more before they made things official. Might be the only reason he'd accepted Lee so readily; at least he knew the man, and his presence made Jenny not care about other men. Yes, the Doctor had clearly made the best of the situation.

Didn't mean he wasn't still over-protective. And she could sense that he was _not_ looking forward to when Flumena was grown. Hell, neither was James or Donna or even Jenny; they seemed a little anxious about what might happen...

Given the things James had told her that River Song had said in the Library about her "past" dating choices, Donna Belle couldn't blame them one bit...! Hell, she wondered how her niece would turn out!

Meanwhile, she and James kept very quiet and subdued about their budding relationship. Because they did need to prove to themselves that they could work out before they let their worrywart family find out – especially the over-protective Doctor... Mind, as Donna Belle admitted to James on the after work dinner that doubled as their first date – the sneaking around was the only downside of being with him at the moment – following her first day helping UNIT, she could appreciate that his hearts were in the right place.

James hated to admit that his twin might have a point. Even if he went overboard about it. As the Doctor was often inclined to do...

Still, they tried to make the most of it. Having an infant just two Earth months old was distracting the Doctor from his previous efforts to keep an eye on them. James in particular. So having dinner out most nights after work was just one little way they claimed a bit of privacy to explore what was building between them, learn more about each other, and... basically learning how far each could go in teasing the other...

And James would steal the occasional kiss at opportune moments. He would've considered trying it closer to home if Donna Belle didn't blush so much afterward...

Oh, he liked those blushes; they were very becoming on her! But... it defeated the purpose of keeping a secret from their family if they saw an obvious sign...

But on one of the days they were both off, they noticed how restless Donna and the Doctor were getting. Oh, they had every bit of help they needed from everyone else, but... James finally had to break the tension. "Look, hand Flumena over and go on an adventure. Just the two of you."

The dual startled reactions made James snort. (One of the more Donna-like habits he had.) "Oh, don't look at me like that! Donna hasn't been on an adventure since months before _your_ last one, and you haven't gone anywhere since. Parents need some time to themselves, and you two don't exactly do romantic dinners. So..." He met Flumena's awake eyes and beamed at her. "How does a little time with your aunt and uncle sound to you, sweetheart?"

Flumena laughed and waved her hands excitedly. She liked the attention.

Donna Belle smirked at the bewildered looks on the parents' faces. "She'll be fine," she said as she gently took the giggling baby from the Doctor's arms. "Go find some planet to save," she urged as she took the girl away to change her for an outing. An hour or two would be fine, and the TARDIS was – according to Jenny – getting better about getting people home when they intended to – no matter how much time the adventures seemed to take.

And it would be just the Doctor and Donna. Jenny and Lee were helping Jack Harkness and his team clean up a huge mess. Owen and Tosh had nearly been killed by a plotting madman... who apparently was Jack's brother... So that team needed the extra hands and minds until they got their feet back underneath them. It said something about how much trust Lee had earned – and how immature the Doctor knew Jenny to still be – that _he_ was in charge of keeping Jenny out of trouble...

/=/=/

Flumena was insatiably curious about the world around her, extremely alert to her surroundings, and nearly impossible to distract. Made life extremely interesting for her family, and she always wanted things explained to her. How much she understood was a bit of a mystery to her family, but the eager example of the Doctor and James – each all too willing to talk to her about whatever seemed to catch her eye – had encouraged the rest.

She also preferred being carried to being pushed in a pram. They found that out the first time Sylvia tried taking her on a walk. Flumena had fussed until her frazzled grandmother picked her up to hold her a moment. Jenny figured it out, as she had joined them for some granddaughter-grandmother bonding time, and now the pram was more for carting around supplies than its originally designed usage.

Thank goodness for slings that held babies close to you and let your hands be free, Donna Belle thought with a smile as they sat on one of the benches at the nearby park. Flumena could people-watch to her heart's content, and try to figure out how the children's toys worked. She apparently liked to use that Time Lord mind to figure out what – to her young perspective – were the mysteries of the universe.

The first time she said it, James had grinned wryly. "When you're that young, I suppose the mechanics of a swing would count."

These moments when they could be seen publicly and act like a couple were becoming more and more comfortable for Donna Belle. Which was a huge relief to James; he'd worried that being mistaken for Flumena's mother might bring her pain. As it was, she let him hold her hand or even hug her whenever painful memories did come to mind, and she was slowly smiling in amusement any time they were assumed to be their niece's parents. The joke the universe had played on the Doctor and Donna was alive and well...

One thing did catch their attention during those moments. Flumena giggled every time someone assumed that they were her parents.

They always thought it was because she liked something in the tone of the person who made the assumption. They had no idea she was laughing about how silly all the big people were. Didn't they know that she was with Not-Mummy and Not-Daddy?

/=/=/

They were all in a good mood when they approached Wilf's home, and the TARDIS was back, so Flumena wouldn't have to wait for another feeding. Oh, they'd had some "mummy goodness" (oh, had Jenny looked ill when her father tossed that description out!) in the bag, but nothing could beat bonding time with Mummy. Let her Daddy be the one to, most of the time, feed her by bottle.

But James flinched as they approached. "Something's wrong," he muttered. "The Old Girl seems shaken, and I can feel him hurting." They rushed inside as Flumena began to detect her father's emotional pain. Only James' ability to sense Donna reassured him that the worst hadn't happened...

In the living room, they found Donna and the Doctor sitting close together, her arms tightly around him as she murmured various soothing sounds to him. He was in a daze, and barely responded to seeing Flumena reach for him. He folded her into his arms, clutching her close and trying to let her innocent mind flow over his – without letting her into what he'd seen.

Jenny filled her aunt and uncle in on the mess that had been her parents' visit to Mars – for the first human attempt at colonization. It hadn't gone well, and had somehow become a fixed event in history. The sequence of events themselves were bad enough, but what worried her – and Donna – was how the Doctor had had a moment of nearly becoming Time Lord Victorious by altering the events.

Except Donna had reminded him about the consequences of meddling in fixed events. What could the domino effect be? At least the people there were known as heroes to Earth's history as things were. Why risk making things worse when time was demanding they stay the same...?

She admitted being afraid that his actions had to do with that prophecy that Carmen and the Ood had respectively given. He was afraid that he was going to die, and it was messing with his head...

James had never been more grateful to not be the Doctor... But also had the feeling that he and the others would need to stick around the Doctor more often. A bond with the love of one's life might only go so far toward stopping a person – or a Time Lord – from acting very stupid... There might be something to living on Earth most of the time.

Only a few weeks later, he had cause to swallow those words...


	7. Comfort After an Unbearable Sacrifice

PART 7: Comfort After an Unbearable Sacrifice

Donna Belle had finally seen a day to rival the living nightmare that had been the Cybermen invasion of Pete's World. And it targeted Earth's children... and their own family...

/=/=/

Seeing all the children in the world freeze at exactly the same moment? Scary enough. But _Flumena_ being affected by whatever was also making all the children talk at the same time...?

No way the Doctor wasn't solving this mess and seeing what the government was hiding!

It had gotten ugly far too fast. Someone planted a bomb inside Jack, and only Jenny and Martha's quick thinking had enabled them to disable it – with seconds to spare. Given how Jack couldn't die, the idea of how his blown-apart body would've come back together was disturbing on so many levels...

But another bomb did make it inside Torchwood, damaging a lot of the equipment. Mercifully, Jenny and Mickey had helped make back-ups of the data. However, it meant the team had to work out of either the TARDIS or random spots around Cardiff and London...

And a call to Martha revealed that UNIT had detected that the orders for those actions came from somewhere within the government. Apparently, someone thought that Torchwood could harm Earth's chances of defending itself against the new threat...

So who within the government was trying to destroy one of the best defenses? It led to Jenny managing to plant a bunch of listening devices, and the team enlisting a young government worker to wear the special spy contacts Jack had picked up from his Time Agent travels. The information they got was horrifying... and damning...

An alien species, known only as the 456, wanted the citizens of Earth to hand over ten percent of all of the children on the planet – all within a certain school-age range. And they'd been to Earth before, demanding twelve children within that same age range. Donna Belle had slapped Jack over his role in that mess, beating quite a few people who were feeling the urge.

Well, James wanted to punch Jack. The Doctor was just angry that he hadn't known about it at the time...

But how to make them leave without endangering all of Earth? With the team from Torchwood Cardiff having to relocate to London, UNIT headquarters became the primary base of operations quickly. The UNIT commanders tried to obtain information, and it helped that it turned out the American general who was speaking with the Prime Minister and his cabinet was quietly involved with the organization.

The Doctor figured out a way to talk with them, but it required setting up a remote link and letting the one survivor from Jack's actions be the one to confront the 456 who were set up in the container set up in Thames House. Donna had sensed that they wanted to keep others out of it as much as possible; there was simply no telling how far the 456 were willing to go, and no one wanted to find that out...

Except the poor, psychologically wounded man was killed. That link that made the children let out a haunting scream changed, and destroyed him in the process.

And it made the government step up their efforts. Orders were given to forcibly remove children from homes if their parents kept them from school the next morning...

So the whole team spent the night desperately trying to figure out a solution. Whatever had happened to poor man had to be the key. But how to create that sound...?

Unfortunately... the answer was grim. They needed a child to generate the noise... and said child would burn like the poor man had...

But they had to. Jack's daughter and grandson were already prisoners of the government, and then... A frightened call from one of Wilf's neighbors. Wilf and Sylvia had been taken into custody... with Flumena...

It seemed the government thought she was James and Donna Belle's child, and figured that capturing her would ensure their cooperation. Instead, the two rushed to a nearby hospital where Donna Belle had done some volunteer work helping terminally ill children. (A form of dealing with tragedy by making lives happier before their end.) And they gathered all the children of that age range and their parents and guardians, explaining what was needed; if a child had to die to save all of Earth, why not give an already dying child a chance to be a hero...?

One girl, who they'd befriended on numerous visits beforehand, and her parents had just found out that her little brothers had been among the children snatched by the military. She stunned everyone by instantly asking to take on the sacrifice. Her parents, already shaken, were faced with an impossible choice... But Maite Alexander, faced with only months to live due to a rare cancer, found that grace that only those who know they're going to die soon anyway could obtain and _begged_ her parents to let her save her brothers.

Neither James nor Donna Belle could dare ask how Mr. and Mrs. Alexander could find the strength to agree to her wishes... It took every bit of their combined persuasive abilities to convince the parents that they didn't want to actually be there to witness their daughter's death...

And they were so grateful for it... The horrible noise had been bad enough when poor Clement McDonald died. But knowing that when they set it off together (in an act mirroring what happened inside Vesuvius so long ago) they were causing one girl's death to save millions...?

It didn't matter that Martha had given her an injection of pain medicine to hopefully lessen any agony. It didn't matter that Jack, who risked going to Thames House alone, was able to bully the 456 into surrendering the two children in that ship's possession and then ordered the stunned soldiers into helping him remove the children to a UNIT vehicle – rushing them into Martha's care.

Yes, it was a relief that Gwen and Mickey quickly intimidated a number of high-ranking military members into releasing Alice, Stephen, Wilf, Sylvia, and Flumena. And that Flumena's cries were finally soothed when she was placed in-between her parents – and stopped altogether when she was fed.

But it left James and Donna Belle clinging to each other. With the exception of Donna and the Doctor, no one else could even begin to comprehend what they were feeling. And with the distraction of making sure Flumena wasn't harmed by being kidnapped (for what many in her family feared would be only the first of many times), the attention previously paid to watching them went away.

Except for checking in and making sure that they weren't going to harm themselves over what they had to do, of course...

But it left them with a lot of time to themselves... Which slowly grew into seeking more private moments to share in their grief... until they realized their needs had changed, and they found they had to _know_ each other...

Those consequences would make themselves felt that Christmas...


	8. Am I Ready For This?

PART 8: Am I Ready For This?

The TARDIS returned while Wilf was out again. He was being awfully cryptic lately, but it seemed that a lot of people were having bad dreams. And Wilf was somehow the only one who seemed to remember them...

Donna Belle shared in Sylvia's worry over it. Even as she was feeling off... It was something that she thought she should've recognized... but it just didn't connect with anything...

Lee emerged, rubbing his forehead. Clearly something hadn't gone well. Sylvia raised an eyebrow as she stepped outside with Travis, Donna's dog. "What happened this time?"

Jenny was right behind Lee, scowling. "Dad got Elizabeth I so mad at him, when we left she was calling him her sworn enemy."

The Doctor came out, holding a sleeping Flumena while he glared at his elder daughter. "Well, she could've been a bit more appreciative. You did save her from an assassination attempt."

Donna shook her head as she followed out, watching as her mother came up to cradle her youngest grandchild. "Well, I think she had some problem with how it was done, and – since even a woman like her can't overcome the preferential thinking toward men – blamed the Doctor, as she thought him responsible for our entire party. So there are apparently two English queens who have practically banished the Doctor. Oh, and the rest of us are party to that."

Jenny snorted, keeping it a bit quiet for her sister's sake. "Oh, please! We all know that she was also mad that you had the better ginger locks."

The Doctor looked at Donna, and grinned. "Well, that might've been a factor against us..."

Donna rolled her eyes. "You were actually able to take your eyes off me long enough once the comparison was accidentally made by that silly little courtier to notice?"

James managed to get a glimpse of the younger Elizabeth I through Jenny sharing a memory, and smirked. Yes, their Donnas had much lovelier locks. No wonder a queen who had used people fawning over her as a tool of keeping power was angry...

But all laughter stopped when Donna Belle's stomach suddenly rebelled and she lost her lunch over the grass. Everyone came over to check on her, and the Doctor reached for his Sonic – but paused. James looked up when he felt the confusion, and noticed his brother pulling out the psychic paper. The frown turned indignant, and then it was replaced by complete shock.

And then the Sonic couldn't come out fast enough. He scanned Donna Belle, who regained some awareness and swung an arm in his direction. "Stop bleeping me!"

But the paleness increased. And then... "Everyone inside the TARDIS now! Jenny, grab Travis! Lee, show Sylvia the nursery and leave Flumena in there; she doesn't need to overhear any of this!"

He never acted like he was panic-stricken – not since the wedding passed without incident on their end – and so this was enough to get everyone obeying instantly. In less than a minute, the TARDIS was on the Moon. "Close enough," the Doctor said when they landed, with help from his three co-pilots, "to keep an eye on Earth, but hopefully far enough away that none of us are directly affected by whatever's about to happen."

"Which is what," Jenny demanded, letting her voice raise since Flumena was out of the room.

The slight increase in his paleness was accompanied by Donna saying, "We don't know, but we were told to get off Earth."

Donna Belle, sitting on the Jump Seat (with a bucket that the TARDIS had ready for her in her hands), looked up slowly. "What about Gramps?"

The Doctor swallowed. "Whoever sent me the message swore they'd look after him."

As uncertain as things had gotten, James needed to know one thing. "What did your scan say? Is she all right?"

Which was _quite_ the phrase to use, given who he was talking to... And he knew it, but he couldn't think of any other way to put it right then.

The Doctor sighed, looked up with a frown, and said seven words that turned James and Donna Belle's lives upside down. "She threw up because she's carrying twins."

A dropped pin could've made a louder noise than the breathing and the TARDIS' own workings combined at that.

James – not quite believing his ears – stared at his twin for a long moment while Donna Belle froze solid, memories of her past re-enforcing the truth that she should've seen sooner...

/=/=/

Donna Belle sat on the sidewalk, wringing her hands in front of her as she stared at the empty street. Her family was all off to the side... and she knew that James was watching her keenly. Waiting desperately for permission to approach her again after she said she needed a moment...

But how long did one need when, even as you shared in your lover's joy over children, your mind suddenly made you remember how you'd lost your last family...? When part of you was absolutely convinced you were bound to lose everything once again...?

She sat there for some time before she heard a voice: "Mind some company?"

It hadn't taken Donna Belle long to notice that there was a slight difference in the accents of the Doctor and James; James' held a strong hint of the Chiswick region, whereas the Doctor's sounded like a native of a different part of London. She couldn't remember the area, but it was distinctly East London. And so she didn't need to look up to see the brown suit instead of the blue she'd grown fond of. She just shrugged at the question; say what you would about his meddling, but he never pushed her to talk about anything. Just let her know that he was there if she wanted to talk.

Although... why he was keen to sit down with her when he'd just lost his home-world – again – and had been sidelined from saving Earth...? She eyed him as he sat down, copying her posture and position. Of course, she thought, it wasn't exactly a good day for anyone, I suppose...

"The medicine helping any?" The Doctor had given her an injection provided by the TARDIS, created to help with nausea. The Old Girl had figured it out based on his Donna's physiology, and – based on how she was looking now, aside from the fear in her eyes – it seemed to have worked for Donna Belle.

The question threw her for a moment. "Oh, yes, thank you."

He eyed her, watching the play of emotions. He might still be rubbish with feelings, but there were some things that the Doctor could pick up on all too well now... "You know, the strange thing is, you and I are alike."

That caught her attention. She gave him an are-you-joking look.

He smiled wryly. His words, however, were absolutely soft. "We've both lost practically everything we ever held dear to us. We felt like the lone survivor, unconnected and untethered. Didn't really care about the consequences to ourselves of what we did; what was the point when no one truly cared? But then we each ran into someone who _did_ care. Someone filled with the compassion and patience to not put up with denials, to give us pushes that we needed, space when we needed it, and who taught us to value our own lives again."

It hit a lot of chords. A lot. "How come James isn't overcome by the same feelings? He has your memories."

"He also has Donna's resilience, compassion, and patience. Somehow, those were absorbed into his mind as part of the Meta-Crisis. Of course..." He waved his hands a little, not wanting to revive the old debate of what exactly James was to himself and to Donna. He was all-too aware of how the argument could go either way...

And Donna Belle remembered that little introductory discussion. Would've been really awkward, she now knew, if they'd decided he was their son... A quirk of how the Meta-Crisis influenced his mind was probably why James had become a brother instead...

She wanted to feel exposed by how well he was picking up on her feelings. Feelings he was more familiar with than he cared to admit. "Are you afraid that the Universe will take this family away...?"

The Doctor swallowed tightly. "Every moment."

Her eyes widened. "_Every_ moment?"

He shrugged, trying for a hint of levity. "Well, there are times when I can... forget about it... for a while. But it's never far from my mind. Losing your home-world by your own hand will do that to you..."

She was silent for a long moment. "Then how do you cope? How are you able to live in the moment and make their lives vibrant?"

The Doctor sighed, and managed to smile at her. "Part of it is that I'm gifted at pretending like nothing's wrong. And yes, she's given me what-for over that. But... I think it's because she taught me that there's always something worth living for. That if you live consumed by the past, you can't have a future. I... I finally realized that focusing on what I'd lost would only hurt Donna and Jenny, and now Flumena and any other children in my future." He met her eyes with a plea. "I was watching over you because, even though James has so much of Donna in him, he's also a lot like me. And I nearly blew it with Donna. I didn't want you to be hurt... but it seems you two had that all sorted out." He grasped her hand in support. "Don't let your past hurt your and James' future. We're all here for you."

Those words would've never come out of his mouth a few years before. But it was a testament to how much Donna Noble had changed his life...

Donna Belle sat still, absorbing his words and letting their truth sink in. She had one more thing she had to ask about. "How do you cope with knowing that you'll outlive her?" She was vaguely aware that James' Time Lord genes would likely mean that he would live many years after she died (though not as many as the Doctor probably would when Donna died), and she needed to hear why she shouldn't hold that up as a reason to not act...

He sucked in a breath. And had to pause a long moment before he could recover control of his vocal chords. "Most of the time, I try to not think about it. I'm hoping that our children and my memory of her will be enough... but I can't imagine life now without her. And... as Sylvia and Wilf have reminded me, people do outlive their spouses by many years on every world. I _will_ find a way to cope..."

If he can manage to raise a family again, she realized, after all he's been through, then so can I... If he and Donna are willing to deal with the consequences of species differences... then so can I... And with that thought, Donna Belle Noble began to let go of the last strings keeping her in her past... letting whatever feelings left to deal with come up...

The Doctor was amazed at how obvious the change was to him – even though he'd been watching her expression carefully. And he wasn't surprised to see tears building. He offered a hug, and wasn't surprised that she accepted, soaking part of his jacket.

/=/=/

James stood by as everyone else checked on Wilf. He seemed haunted, but immensely grateful to be back with family. The way he'd hugged the Doctor... Well, James didn't need to sense Donna or the Doctor's thoughts to realize that a Doctor had died today...

Although that knowledge would've been enough to set him on edge... if he hadn't been too preoccupied worrying over Donna Belle...

It was so strange how she'd seemed fine – if in shock – on board the TARDIS, and then suddenly he felt her gripped by her past and she begged for a moment alone. His imagination was running rampant as he worried that maybe they'd become intimate too soon... And that was just the mildest of his worries...

Letting the Doctor go to her was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. He couldn't keep his eyes off them. It was completely irrational, the level of worrying he was suddenly overwhelmed by, but he didn't know what he could do. Wilf needed the rest of the family to console him, and there was so only so much he was willing to talk with Lee about – since the young man was _practically_ Jenny's fiancée...

Seeing her cling to the Doctor, letting out some of the quietest tears he'd ever seen her release, James wondered what had happened. His progenitor had carefully blocked him from sensing the conversion. Okay, he could appreciate the need for privacy, but the majority of him was even more worried because he had no idea what was happening...

Finally, they let go of each other. James watched as Donna Belle wiped her tears, and then accepted the Doctor's hand to help her up. And she met his eyes and walked his way.

The Doctor went around her and headed straight to Donna's side. He just _needed_ to hug his wife...

James slowly came over to meet her half-way... wondering what his future held, since it was all dependent on what she wanted... What she was ready for...

He kept his hands in his pockets, and stopped when she did. A few feet separated them, and it felt like the whole universe... He wanted to talk, but he forced his lips to stay shut. Must follow her lead, he reminded himself, must follow her lead...

Donna Belle looked into his nervous face, saw the hope and the fear in his eyes, and found the strength to do what needed to be done. "I... guess I'd let go of any thought of doing this again," she whispered. "I hadn't realized it until just now, but I was keeping my heart protected. I wasn't sure I could be a mother again."

James swallowed down bile threatening to come up. Damn my human parts! "What _do_ you want...?"

She reached for his hands, tugging them out of his pockets, and held his gaze. "The Doctor helped me see some truths. I _can_ be a mother again, and... I would _gladly_ raise a family with you."

His heart seemed to melt until it felt lighter than a feather. He exhaled a breath he didn't realize he was holding, and – overcome by relief – got down on bended knee.

All conversation stopped around them. All eyes were on them. Including some neighbors...

Donna Belle sucked in a breath, and opened her mouth to protest, but James surprised her. "I've been wanting to ask this since you first held Flumena... Donna Belle, may I please become your husband?" She promptly burst into tears, pulled him up and snogged the living daylights out of him.

Donna, even as she beamed with joy, couldn't suppress a snort. _Bet you never thought you'd be their relationship counselor, did you?_

The Doctor smiled fondly at their siblings. _No, but I'm glad things will work out for them. They're just as stubborn and determined as we are..._

And he held to that opinion when the two were married only two months later. And when Donna Belle safely delivered a boy and a girl. Although he had to hold his wife close momentarily when they were named Joshua and Ella...

But they had their second born, a boy, several weeks later. They definitely had a good thing going...

THE END


End file.
